Self-oiling wheel.



PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

P. G. HOCKENSMITH. SELF OILING WHEEL.

APPLIGATIoN FILED JULYs. 190e.

" UNITED l STATES PATiiNfr ortica.

sELF-olLlNe WHEEL.

No. s511354.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application iiled July 3, 1906. Serial No. 324,651.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, FRANKLIN C. HooKEN- SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Self Oiling lVheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a valvel or closure for the inlet of an oil chamber, and particularly the chamber of a self-oiling wheel.

The primary object is to provide improved means for holding the inwardly opening valve normally seated.

A further object is to so construct the valve and valve seat that the valve may be readily opened by the spout of the oiler, and when open aiiord a free and unobstructed passage into the chamber.

These and other objects of the invention are fully described in the accompanying specification.

The invention is designed primarily for a self-oiling mine car wheel, and is so illustrated in the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 being a vertical sectional view through the hub of the mine car wheel, taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken at right angles to Fig. 1, on line 2-2 thereof. Fig. 3 isa view on a larger scale of a portion of the oil chamber, showing the position of the valve wh en open for the admission of oil. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views.

Referring to the drawing, 2 designates the hub of a wheel, here shown formed with annular oil chamber 3, surrounding eye 4. v

5 are the spokes radiating froml the hub and carrying .the rim and tread, not shown. Wheels having chamberedv hubs of various construction are now in use, and the invention is not restricted to a wheel of any particular design.

In applying my improvement, I cast in outer wall 6 of the oil chamber an internally threaded bushing 7, which receives the open externally threaded valve seat 8 through which the oil is introduced. The outer face of this seat member is beveled or coned at 9, and also formed with an external wrench hold 10, while the inner face thereof is beveled or coned at 11, the inner and outer surf faces being separated by a comparatively thin or narrow annular ridge 12.

Supported within the oil chamber in line with the valve seat, and spaced inwardly therefrom, is the open-end holder 13, here shown in form of a tube, and sustained by having its end cast in the inner wall 6 of the oil chamber. The holder may be provided with lateral openings 13 to prevent the accumulation of dirt, sediment, etc.V

Fitting loosely within the holder is coiled spring 14, which is under constant tension and operates to hold the valve normally seated and closed. The valve consists of a stem portion 15 which extends into the coiled spring, and the head 16 against the rear or inner face of which the spring bears. This rear face is preferabl beveled as shown at 16 to render less like y the accumulation of obstructing foreign 'matter between the spring and head. The outer face of the head is iiat, and its edge is slightly beveled at 16 to make a tight fit in beveled face 11 of the valve seat. The open-end of the tubular holder is lared slightly or beveled at 13 so that when the spring is deiiected laterally when the valve opens it will not catch on the end of the holder. The inner end of the valve stem ,15 is tapered at 15 so that when forcing the valve inward said extremity will slip past and not catch on the convolutions of the spring.

Figure 3 illustrates the position of the valve when opened b pressure of the oilerspout 17. With the iatter introduced at an angle, as shown, it is impossible for its open end to be closed or obstructed by the flat outer face of the valve. Furthermore, this flat face facilitates the sliding or slipping movement ofthe spout-end sidewise or toward the periphery of the valve-head, thus discharging the oil directly into the oil chamber. The formation of the inner and outer faces of the seat member S is such as to facilitate such angular positioning of the oilerspout, there being only the narrow ridge 12 to limit such movement.

In conse uence of the comparatively small area of the engaging, surfaces between the valve and its seat, the valve forms an effective seal. With a larger engaging surface, foreign matter deposited on any portion thereof would hold the valve unseated, whereas, with my improved valve, the relatively thin or narrow edge of the head tends to eut away or displace any obstruction that may exist. It will be noted that the base or inner end of holder 13 is somewhatwithin the line of the inner face of chamber-wall 6', and that when the valve is closed the valve-engaging end of the spring projects somewhat into the plane of chamber wall 6. A space of maximum length is thus afforded for the coiled spring, thus permitting of the use of a spring of such length that-'When contracted, as it is when ithe valve is opened by the insertion of the oile'r, the tension thereof is not materially increased.

necessary between the valve and its holding means Also', bylholding thevalve in the manner shown and described it has lateral play; when away from its vseat which facilitates 1ts opening movement, and also enables it to center properly in its-seatjwhen closing, advantagesnotpossessed bya positively guided valve.

I claim 1. The combination of an oil chamber having a filling opening in one wall thereof, the wall opposite -the filling opening being closed, aholder vsecured-to said op ositeclosed Wall and projecting toward the fi ling opening, the securedend fof the holder being closed and its opposite end. open, a coiled spring within the holder and projecting therefrom toward the filling opening, and a headed valve having its stem projecting. part way through the spring .and holder, the valve stem being smaller than and loosely fitting the interior of the s ring 'with the vlatter bearing against the bacli of the v`valve head andholding the latter normally seated and closing the filling opening. l

2. The combination of a Wheel, an oil chamber communicating with the interior of the wheel hub, the chamber having a filling opening in one sidewall thereof with the wall opposite` the filling opening closed, a

tubular holder within the chamber and extending toward the filling opening, the end of the holder facing the filling opening being open, a coiled spring seated in the holder and extending through the open end thereof toward the filling opening, a headed valve having its stem smaller than and loosely fitting within the spring, the spring bearing against the back of the valve head and holding it normally'seated and closing the filling opening.

, 3. The combination of an oil chamber having a filling opening, a coiled spring in line with and expansible toward the filling opening, spring holding means, a headed valve normally closing the filling opening by the action of the spring, the valve stem extending part-way through the coiled spring and having its inner end coned in order to freely pass the inner surface' ,of the spring when the valve is pushed inward.

4. The combination of an oil chamber having a filling opening, the outer portion of the opening being coned inwardly and the inner ortion coned outwardly, a tubular open-end liolder within the chamber and extending toward the filling opening, a coiled spring seated in-the holder and normally projecting therefrom, and a valve having a flat head closing against the inner coned face of the opening and a shank projecting loosely into the spring from the head and partially through the holder, the valve being capable of limited lateral movement when unseated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANKLIN C. HOCKENSMITH.

Witnesses:

J. M. NESBET, ALEX. S, MABON 

